District hires Ridgefield resident as stadium manager at Danbury High

Published 7:00 pm, Friday, January 14, 2005

"I'm really excited. It's a good opportunity to bring in different programs to use the stadium facility. I think it can give money back to the school," Leary said.

Leary was hired to provide management and administrative oversight of all interscholastic and community events through scheduling, assigning costs, fees, staff, media relations, and marketing and promotion of the athletic facilities to outside organizations.

The high school facility has an artificial turf surface and an eight-lane Mundo track that can be used for
NCAA
collegiate track events, as an Olympic training site, and for New England championship-caliber high school track competitions.

Leary said college course work gave him a foundation in marketing the facility but he also felt the stadium's quality would serve as a message.

"I think the facility will market itself. It's such a top-notch facility," said Leary. "I'm excited to start. It's a great opportunity."

School leaders had a tough time getting the position approved by the 11-member
Board of Education
in the last couple of years, but it was approved at the end of the summer.

"I think it's going to be a wonderful addition for our program here,'' said
Chip Salvestrini
, the district's athletic director. "It was worth the effort of the last four years to get this in."

The board approved the post with the caveat it would pay for itself, which means raising money to cover $45,000 in salary plus the cost of benefits.

"It's a $5 million investment. We want to make money to pay for the position and to raise money to enhance the education programs at the high school," Salvestrini said. "Not just for athletics, even for textbooks if necessary."

Leary, a 1999 graduate of Ridgefield High, had a 100-hour internship with Salvestrini and a four-month internship with the Junior PGA golf tour while in college. One of his first big events will be to oversee the
Connecticut Special Olympics
in May.

"There are outside groups who pay for this type of facility like college soccer, college lacrosse and summer camps," Salvestrini said. "This summer we are being considered for the Nutmeg Games and a
National Junior Olympic Qualifier
."

The Nutmeg Games are a state open track and field event for young people.

"
John
is young, motivated and has a great understanding of the high school athletic program and how it fits into the education program," Salvestrini said. "He's got a great challenge but we'll make the best of it."